Troublesome Piggyback
by AttentionDeficitDisorder
Summary: When Shikamaru and Neji have a mission and Neji manages to hurt his ankle so badly he can't walk, Shikamaru's just going to have to carry him, no matter what Neji's pride is screaming at him. ShikaNeji fluff. Oneshot.


**A/N xD I SWEAR I'M GOING TO POST BOTH TITANIC AND ADD UPDATES. I SWEAR. This is just a little drabble thing for a friend of mine who had a dream like this :3.**

For the millionth time that day, Neji cursed the Missing Sound Nin. He hoped that he would rot in hell and be tormented every single moment for all eternity for managing to pull a fast one on Neji. He'd luckily spotted the trap at the last minute and had managed to dodge it enough so that he only fell awkwardly instead of being impaled by the eight kunai heading for where he had been a second earlier. On his ankle. Right on that pivoting point that meant every single step was excruciating. The second Neji had fallen, Shikamaru had caught the nin in his elaborate trap involving shuriken and shadows and dealt with him quickly and cleanly. If Neji hadn't been too busy cursing every deity out there, he would have noticed and maybe nodded in approval of Shikamaru's swift work.

However, when Shikamaru ambled over, hands in pockets and a cigarette dangling out the corner of his mouth to where Neji was still sitting on the ground and morosely prodding a swelling ankle, he'd felt nothing but annoyance. Especially when the Nara sighed and offered a hand, obviously thinking Neji was weak and couldn't stand up by himself and merely helping him was far too 'troublesome' for him to waste time on. Neji shot Shikamaru a withering glare, bandaged his ankle and tried to stand.

He could do it. On one foot. But there was no way in hell he could walk properly. Shikamaru was standing about a foot and a half away, just watching Neji struggle. Neji shot him another glare. He didn't want the Nara's help, but he didn't want him to just leave Neji there either! Ugh. He'd have to just swallow the pain and walk.

"... D'ya want a hand, Neji?"

"No, thank you. I am perfectly capable of walking."

Neji lifted his chin and took a step. A flash of pain made him bite his lip, but he managed it. Great. Only... 48930 to go before he got back to Konoha and his room. He grimaced and took another step, hissing in pain. 48929.

"... Neji, you can't walk."

"I'm doing perfectly adequately, thank you, Shikamaru."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, slouching in front of Neji who was balancing on his good leg.

"You can't hop all the way to Konoha. You're in pain and I want to get home before dark."

Neji glared. What did Shikamaru expect him to do, fly home or something? Neither of them had enough chakra to jutsu.

"Well what do you suggest, then?"

Shikamaru gave him a calculating glance before he turned around, crouching down on one knee.

"I'm going to have to carry you."

"W-What?!"

Shikamaru glanced over his shoulder.

"Carry you. I'm going to have to carry you."

"No!"

Shikamaru rolled his eyes again.

"What, you'd prefer bridal style? Fireman's lift?"

Neji scowled.

"I'm walking."

"No you're not. You can't."

"I can."

Neji took another step and hissed in pain. 48328 to go. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"Sure. You've only got... 4 more hours of that."

Neji almost growled. This was so humiliating! But he wanted to get home to and tend to his ankle which was in agony, no matter how hard his Shinobi brain tried to block out the pain. Shikamaru sighed and turned around again, going down on one knee. Neji glared at Shikamaru's back for a second and then slowly made his way over, climbing on gracefully. Gods, this was so embarrassing! He clutched on a little tighter as Shikamaru stood up, grabbing the back of Neji's calves and wrapping them around his waist.

"There. That's not so bad, is it?"

Neji didn't reply. Shikamaru's pony tail was sticking into his face and making his nose itch but he was damned if he was going to sneeze and show the lazy-assed shadow wielder another weakness. He could almost feel Shikamaru roll his eyes at his silence as he started walking. Gods... He would never live this down. His Hyuuga Robe (not a man-skirt, damn it!) was flapping gently, the only sound apart from Shikamaru's footsteps and their breathing.

"Tch. You're heavy."

"Well I do apologize. I'll make sure to not eat, just in case anyone ever has to pick me up again."

"Nah. You're skinny enough. Still heavy, though. Must be all that hair, huh?"

"What do you want me to do about it?"

Shikamaru shrugged, even though he was carrying Neji.

"Dunno. Don't mind."

"Then stop complaining. As far as I remember, you offered to carry me."

Shikamaru snorted.

"Tch."

There was another silence that lasted for about five miles. Neither really had much to say to each other, and Neji was still pissed off that he was being carried. Shikamaru seemed more interested in the sky than where he was actually going, but despite that he hadn't stumbled or walked into anything.

"Oi... You know about birds, right?"

Neji blinked, surprised by the question.

"... A little."

"Up above, is that a hawk or a kestrel?"

Neji glanced up. Framed by a large, now slightly orange, cloud was a hawk.

"Hawk."

"How do you know?"

"Can you see it's feathers?"

"Kinda."

"Well, hawks are usually grey or brown, like this one. Kestrels have patterns on them, and different shaped tail feathers."

"Oh."

There was another silence, this one slightly more comfortable. It was starting to get cold, but the body heat radiating from Shikamaru and the lack of adrenaline in his system was making Neji feel sleepy. Dangerously so. If there was nothing to keep Neji's brain alert, he'd fall asleep. They were still another couple of miles from Konoha and Shikamaru's speed was decreasing. He must be tired too.

"... Why do you like the clouds so much?"

"Why do you like birds?"

Neji's eyebrow twitched. There was always something about this man that just... Got under his skin.

"... It's rude to answer a question with another question."

Shikamaru shrugged and didn't say anything. After a minute, Neji sighed loudly.

"I like the birds because they remind me that freedom is obtainable. Even if fate throws us a set amount of choices, I can still choose which one I want to take."

Shikamaru nodded.

"Fair enough. I like the clouds because they relax me."

"Is that all?"

"Is that all that relaxes me?"

"... That too."

"Nope. Shogi and smoking relaxes me as well. I guess I also like the clouds because they move slowly and are easy to watch."

Neji snorted. There was probably some deep physiological reason that Shikamaru liked the clouds, but he really was too tired to think about it properly and the gentle motion of Shikamaru's gait was making him slump slightly, loosing some of the tension in his back and shoulders.

"I like Shogi too."

"Really?"

Neji nodded. Hadn't he just said? He wasn't going to change his mind three seconds after making a statement like that.

"Cool. We should play sometime. I'm betting you're the only one apart from my dad and... Well Asuma, but he's gone now, who'd give me any sort of challenge."

Neji snorted again, letting his eyes slide closed.

"Pitting a genius against a genius? It could be interesting."

"Exactly what I was thinking."

"Then I accept your offer."

"Good."

There was another silence, this one definitely comfortable. The last person Neji had played Shogi against was his father, and he'd been gone for nigh on 12 years now. Neji was surely a little rusty and Shikamaru would win the first few games, but after that it was anyone's guess. The sun was setting, casting everything into an orange light that, in Neji's half asleep state, reminded him of Naruto. He pondered this for a few seconds before he closed his eyes again and sighed, slumping down a little more. Shikamaru adjusted his grip and kept going.

"... So... You wanna write the report? Seeing as I'm carrying you and all. You can edit out the fall and I'll say nothing, if you want."

There was silence. Shikamaru raised an eyebrow.

"... Neji, you listening?"

Still silence. There was only the gentle flap of Neji's man-skirt thing, Shikamaru's footsteps and Neji's breathing. Which was very deep and regular. Shikamaru blinked.

"... Are you asleep?"

Silence.

"... Oi, Neji."

Nothing. Shikamaru shook his shoulder.

"Mmpfh...?"

Neji could barely keep his eyes open. The chakra depletion and the pain were making him so, so tired.

"... Are you going to just fall asleep on me?"

"Mmn..."

"... You are so troublesome."

Shikamaru felt Neji's head hit his shoulder and his whole body relax a little more. He turned his head slightly, He could see Neji's forehead and closed eyes now.

"... Tch."

Shikamaru rolled his eyes, but couldn't stop the trademark smirk of his from slipping onto his face. Who else had seen the great Hyuuga Neji fast asleep? Shikamaru snorted. Just wait until Neji woke up. He'd never hear the end of it, falling asleep on Shikamaru. Ahh... There were so many ways Shikamaru could twist this situation to sound... So innuendous it was unbelievable.

But he'd wait until Neji woke up, and they were playing Shogi.

Now, that was a game he was looking forward to.


End file.
